Die, Leeches, Die
by Lillerbug
Summary: Bella's life is turned upside down when a wedding turns into a full out massacre. With help from the pack, bitter grudges shall be avenged. Anti-vamp, pro pack, die leeches die. takes place After Edwards Departure, T for gore, dark humor.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: lillielithium plus one – joint story enjoy - disclaimer: SM owns charcters, I own nothing**

Aro POV

I finally have what I have coveted for almost a century. I am a collector; one must acquire some sort of interest to occupy the endless amount of time that is eternity; I like to collect. My collections are vast—from books to treasures, anything and everything, and, of course, knowledge. You see, I have a gift; with a single touch I am able to obtain an individual's every thought and action. My gift is very useful when trying to find the truth, since we of the Volturi are enforcers of the law that keep the balance and secret of our existence from the world. My gift is very useful.

My guard is a collection of the best vampires, most with very formidable gifts. My Jane and Alec were my most prized jewels. My Jane can bring down any opponent, only a single individual at a time, by sending them into an indescribable amount of pain. I asked her to try it on me once and there will be no repeat.

My Alec, sweet little Alec, was able affect large groups by cutting of their senses. With him, the Volturi were able to successfully take down any offending coven without casualties on our side.

Demetri, my tracker, was the best I have encountered in all my existence. He will be missed.

Chelsea is the most loyal of the guard; she ties our family together. Renita is my shield; she keeps me safe from any physical attacks. Many others have gifts and they serve me and my brothers well. My guard is quite the collection.

I sit on my throne, look to my right, then look to my left and sigh. I have what I have coveted the most, the seer and the mind reader; the future, past, and present. What an unstoppable force. Their eyes are wide in horror, yet are unable to scream. I extend my hand to the seer and ask to see _her _next move; again, the seer comes up blank. Yet she is still able to see others.

* * *

_-Flash back—_

The Volturi try to keep a close eye on all activities pertaining to vampires. Over the past fifty years, the population of vampires has dropped dramatically in the states yet we have been unable to confirm the cause of the phenomena. My brothers and I have come up with multiple theories: Maybe the humans have come up with a way of killing us? Maybe it is a hostile take over by a major coven? Maybe a very powerful coven is taking a claim on the states?

I have called some of the nomads and covens in the states. Some have answered some have not. Those who I have been able to reach have no news. Carlisle's coven, one of the largest, the strange golden eyed coven, had no knowledge of what has been occurring. It's been three years since I have contacted him. His coven has joined the Denali's through the union of the mind reader, Edward Cullen, and Tanya Denali, about forty-five years ago. Their coven has grown which, in itself, is rather worrisome, but that will be dealt with in time. And Carlisle…What gifted vampires he has acquired into his coven: a mind reader, a seer and her mate, the empath. What a trio. To have them in my guard would be magnificent, especially the mind reader and the seer. With those two at my side, we would be the past, present, and future. I cannot wait to have them and have them I will.

Today we have gathered to meet with a vampire named Isabella. She claims to have knowledge pertaining to the matter in the states. We meet in the throne room. My brothers and I sit, while my guard stands, awaiting our visitor's arrival, just incase she is a threat.

Isabella enters wearing casual clothing, jeans and t-shirt. Her arms are covered in scars, the mark of an experienced fighter. What makes me curios is that she seems completely at ease. Most visitors, friend or foe, tend to get a bit jumpy. I ponder on the thought. I wonder if she is gifted, and what power she may have to be as confident as she is.

She carries two large suitcases. I cannot smell the contents and that alone is curios. As I make my way to her and I notice her eyes are brilliant brown, which raises more questions. I see no contact outline; they are her eyes. I have never encountered such a case.

"Isabella, my child, may I?" I reach for her hand. I touch her offered hand and… nothing. I see nothing. I grasp her hand harder but, still, I see nothing. A few minutes have passed. My guard seems to be unnerved by the situation and Cauis is getting impatient.

"Aro, what is it? What do you see?" Cauis asks, annoyance evident in his voice.

"Brother it seems we have a shield amongst us. Our Isabella," I turn back to her. She stays quiet, an emotionless mask.

"Tell us Isabella, what news you have come to share with us?" I inquire.

"I have come to announce my claim to the States. You are to not to enter or will be destroyed. I trust you will be able to spread the news that the U. S. is off limits," she replies, seriously. My guard becomes tense and I see Jane smirk, anticipating action. The guard stands by waiting for further instruction.

I laugh. This girl comes here and has the audacity threaten us? Who does she think she is? Most in the room, except for Marcus and his indifference, are laughing. I silence them by raising my hand.

"Are you responsible for what is happing in the states or are you just a messenger?" I ask.

Her lips curl up into a smug grin, "Oh, I am responsible."

I would not believe her even for an instance. For wasting our precious time, she will pay. But she is a shield, maybe…

"I should have you killed for threatening us child, but maybe you can join our guard. A shield as powerful as yours can be very useful," I suggest.

She shakes her head 'no' with a grin still plastered on her face.

"Very well."

I wave my hand giving my guard the signal to attack. I turn away to sit down and watch.

I turn, hearing no movement. I see a light mist covering the room. She seems to be the one causing it, but no one is moving. Everyone seems to be frozen except myself and Isabella. She has let go of the suitcases and her eyes have closed.

As I approach her, she opens her eyes and I freeze. I am unable to move. She looks around. The mist is disappearing yet we are still frozen. As it fades, it seems as if something has been taken from me, but I am not sure what. Her eyes land on Alec, and then she continues her scan landing on Demetri. All are still frozen. What is she?

"I heard you like to collect," she states giving a pointed glance at my guard.

I say nothing because I am still frozen with whatever power she possesses and I am honestly afraid right now. She could easily kill us all, if she wished.

"I brought you a gift Aro. I hope you like them," she says with a smile that only seems to fuel my growing fear. She drops down to unzip the suitcases throwing down the faces of the suitcases simultaneously.

Two torsos fall out, both have their heads. They are frozen on the floor. Horror strikes me. Both torsos are missing their arms and legs but the wounds do not ooze venom. Instead they seem to be burnt closed.

"A little birdie told me you wished to acquire the seer and the mind reader; well here you are," she continues, "I thought it was an even exchange, fair two for two."

With that she turns to the guard. "You and you are too dangerous: you have too much power and you, tracker, just need to be destroyed." She points at Alec and Demetri and they are both crushed by some invisible force, pulverizing them. Their bits and pieces are set on fire—where it came from, I don't know. All I could do is watch, nothing else.

She turns to me with a smirk. "Stay out of the states and spread the word. All vampires will be destroyed if they enter my territory." She stops to take out what seems to be a flask. It does not smell of alcohol; it smells like blood but different, "All that action really made me thirsty, yummy plasma." She takes a drink after giving me a spine chilling wink.

"I only let you live because you seem to keep our kind in check. Keep doing what you're doing and we'll be cool," she says smiling. Her expression turns serious. "Do not cross me," she warns.

She pulls the suitcases and drags them towards my chair. She then pulls the limbless duo by the hair and puts them on each side of my seat. They look like statues, still unmoving. My brothers are still on their seats, both wide eyed and horror struck. She unfreezes the torsos and heads. Their eyes widen, mouths agape but no sound escapes them.

Isabella smiles widely at them. "Edward, Alice it was nice seeing you again, goodbye," she says politely. They continue open close their mouth but they are still voiceless. She turns to me, "Aro, come sit."

My body responds to her command. I sit down and she reaches for my hands placing them on each head. I am bombarded with what seems like endless information. I am almost overwhelmed with the cries of those in the room. Thanks to Edward I am able to hear everyone in the room. Everybody is completely horrified. Jane is screaming about her brother loud enough to make me flinch. I see little information on Isabella. All memories of her seemed to be almost edited. All things pertaining to her are blurry.

"Aro, I take my leave. Oh, before I forget: the side of each suitcase has their tongues. They were pretty loud so I had to take them off," she added. "Goodbye, remember U.S. of limits. Don't test me. Don't worry about your reputation, I won't tell anyone that I can take you. Embarrassing, don't you think?"

She leaves releasing us from our frozen state. Jane falls to her knees next to her brother's ashes and silently sobs. The rest seem to be completely shaken. I am frozen from the shock of the events that occurred. My hands are still placed on each head. I hear everyone's thoughts. I am able to see that all futures pertaining to _her_ are blank. All the seer sees is us doing nothing, so for now we wait and heed her warning.

"Everyone return to your stations. Heidi go gather up some dinner," I order and point to the ashes on the ground, "and someone clean up this mess."

"Yes, Master."

They retreat. I turn to my brothers. For once, Marcus face is not a mask of indifference, but is equally as disturbed as everyone else.

"Brothers, the seer sees us doing nothing. We continue on, but if we pursue _her,_ visions go blank. Blank means death."

Cauis and Marcus are still horror stricken to what we have witnessed.

"So it's agreed that we do nothing?" They nod in agreement.

"What are you going to do with them?" Cauis asks pointing at the seer and mind reader, their eyes pleading for death.

"I'm going to keep them. It's rude not to accept a gift," I turn to Simon, "You will be in charge of them. Feed them and fuse their tongues back on. That's just cruel."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: all right reserved to SM**

**A/N: Starts New Moon Port Angeles. There will be no mass "animal attacks" nothing noticeable. No wolf sightings. Review please if you like it. It boost's my ego and I'll update more. Nah, I just want to know that I'm not wasting my time and someone is actually enjoying it. If you don't like it, tell me why please.**

50 year earlier from previous chapter

Bella-

They left. I loved him so much, and I believed he loved me in return. He told me that vampires mate for life and that I was his 'forever'. I believed him and gave all of my heart to him. I had been felt so much pain because of his abandonment. I grieved in silence, barely living, only just surviving. I felt so empty. He ripped my heart out and left me bleeding. But I heard his voice as those rowdy men stood in the street drinking, sending catcalls toward Jessica and my direction, scaring us. Flashbacks of a similar incident, where men almost attacked me and Edward swooped in saving me, went through my mind. Edward's voice sounded crystal clear as he said, '_Go back to Jessica.' _His words rang in my headasI stepped closer to the me, surprised and I heard him again. I knew in that moment that I had to let him go. I was hearing his voice and that scared me. I grabbed Jessica's hand and we ran to McDonald's letting out a breath of relief.

"Wow that was scary." We looked at each other and laughed.

The rest of the evening was spent with Jessica spilling school gossip. It was nice, the normality of it but hearing _his _voice unnerved me, something was wrong with me. My holding on to him wasn't healthy.

That night when I made the decision to let Edward go, I looked in the mirror and saw what I had become. I got mad at myself for allowing him to make me so…pathetic. I had lost almost ten pounds from the months of depression. My face was sunken in; my hair was dull; my lips were cracked and dry. I looked so tired. I barely recognized myself.

Edward had broken me. He lied to me. He played me. He used his vampire charm against me. His beauty captivated me; his scent was intoxicating; his voice was like a siren call, so mesmerizing but it only led to doom. His eyes used to capture mine and every thought was forgotten. My mind would become clouded. My knees turned to jelly under his gaze.

When he left, I felt as though my world had ended. He took my heart and every future possibility, but when dissecting the words he said that night in the forest, I came up with one conclusion: it was a lie, all of it. He was never mine, so I lost nothing.

I became aware that he played me; I was merely a victim of his cruel game. He was predator and I was his prey and he used everything in his disposal to reel me in. He was beautiful, perfect and I was average. I was easy to manipulate. I went along with everything he wanted. He dazzled me into agreeing to do anything and everything he wished. If we took the vampire aspect out, he would just be a controlling and emotionally abusive boyfriend. He wasn't very interesting. He was actually kind of boring. Over a century old, but still physically a teenager. Our time was spent listening to classical music, reading, and discussing books. We took no part in any genuinely fun activities. I was young and all I saw was how beautiful he was. Perhaps I was shallow at the time. I was fascinated by the fact that he was a vampire and I wanted to be like them. I had completely romanticized being a vampire, forever young and in love. Our love was epic. He was alone for a century (if that's even true, probably a lie, too) and I was a plain Jane, nothing special, merely human; the lamb and the lion, a taboo love. That, in itself, made me feel special; he had chosen me out of countless of people he could have chosen. He chose _me_.

Edward was my drug and all these months, I have been going through detox, my withdrawal. Hearing his voice was me hitting rock bottom. It was my chance to recognize that I had a problem, almost like a drug addict. All these months I've let reminders of him hurt me. His lies tainted many things for me. He ruined music and books. Even the mention of their names has almost driven me into hysterics. I've allowed my memories to act as a poison. I've given them too much power to hurt me.

If I saw my problem from an analytical view rather than an emotional perspective, and remove all things supernatural, the situation could be explained simply: the boy broke my heart. He played the cruelest kind of game, saying he loved me, flooding me with beautiful words, praise, and promises of forever. Edward was my first boyfriend and I fell in love with him hard and fast. Most girls go through at least one tough break up and they move on. They don't let a boy ruin them. Others are able to move on and so can I. Hopefully…

Even though I've come to realize that I need to move on and let Edward go, I can't help but dwell on the happy moments…No, they were lies. Now that I've accepted it, I'm starting to feel completely humiliated and somewhat angry. He acted the part and I fell for it. I believed every lie, every touch, every kiss he gave me, and I fell apart when he told me the truth; his words were cruel and cold. His words were meant to cut me down, like he wanted me to break. Maybe that's what he intended. He was a good liar. He could have broken up with me on good terms, a_ "Let's just be friends"_ or _"It's just not working out" _and kept the lie going. But instead he was cold hearted basically telling me that I was a pet; one who was easily replaced with _distractions_.

And his family: I loved them but they partook in breaking my heart when they left without a word. To me, it was confirmation that I meant nothing to them. Why am I grieving for people who were so callous? The Cullens, I miss them, but I can live without them. I truly saw them as family but I suppose the feeling wasn't mutual.

My weekend was spent thinking, eating, and sleeping. On Sunday night, I went into my closet and took out a box that held reminders of Edward. My books and music, I missed them. I set them back in their rightful place and put on my favorite play list. I didn't concentrate on the lyrics, simply allowed the melody to fill the room. When pain tried to make itself known, I repeated my mantra: _He's just an ex-boyfriend._ _We weren't meant to be._

I got ready for bed, took a shower, and went in front vanity in my room to blow dry my hair as I saw my reflection, I realized I looked a bit better than Friday night. The bags underneath my eyes were less noticeable, but I still looked awful. _He did this to me_. To the outside world, I was just a girl who had her heart broken by a boy she loved deeply. In actuality, I was a girl dazzled into loving a vampire, a girl who was exposed me to a world of monsters and happily ever afters. I was led to believe our love was forever, but he abandoned me.

They abandoned me. They left me aware and alone. I can't talk to anyone about my involvement with the supernatural. Maybe if I had someone to confide in…But I can't. They would surely think I've gone insane. I felt so much guilt over my birthday party. It was my fault Jasper attacked and Edward left, but now that the fog has been lifted I am able to see that I was playing a dangerous game. I am lucky to be alive.

In the forest he told me those cruel words, that I wasn't good for him, that my mind was sieve, that he would find a new distraction to occupy his time. Why does my heart still ache for him? I wish I never met him. He used me, made me believe he loved me. Why would he do that? He broke me, but it also freed me. He wasn't good for me, the one truth he spoke.

School on Monday was a bit difficult and kind of lonely. I had alienated myself from my friends, basically ditching them for the Cullens and, during my months of zombie Bella, I kept to myself. I felt awkward and self conscious which made me even clumsier than usual. The weekend served as an awakening, a fresh start. I got the sleep I'd been missing, due to the nightmares, and I ate. I actually took more than five minutes on my appearance. I was surprised when my nightmares just went away. I think maybe it was due to the fact that I isolated what I was feeling, I was dumped by a boy and I felt the vampire thing was too much for me. I'll deal with that later. First I have to get over Edward and later acknowledge that I was left alone, aware of a terrifyingly true mythical world.

My classes went by a slowly until lunch came along. I started to panic. I approached them on Friday; it was awkward but they were friendly. I even went to the movies with Jessica. _Maybe it won't be so bad_. I got my lunch and headed towards Jess's table. She saw me and actually waved her hand for me to hurry up. Maybe I'd be okay. She was nice to me, including me in the conversation, and she seemed like a much more real person. Later on, I found out her and Lauren got into a fight because she was trying to make a move on Mike and they were no longer friends. The fake persona that was detectable when I first met her was gone. It seemed being free from Lauren did that to her. It also seemed like her and Mike were going strong. He only had eyes for her, so I guess she no longer saw me as threat. She was actually quite sweet. Angela forgave me for my abandonment and everyone seemed to respect my need to keep quiet about my previous unsociable behavior. I participated in the conversation and laughed. Nothing important, local gossip, music and such. The normalcy was nice.

After school was lonely and boring, I kept busy by cleaning after finishing my homework. When I was done I started dinner. Dad was working late so I ate and went to my room. I sat cross-legged on the floor still having hours to waste before going to bed. I looked at my feet. I squeaked, "Holy shiz!" My feet were gross. I cut my toe nails and then went to my mirror. My eyebrows were disgusting so I reshaped them. At least I wasn't so depressed that neglected to shave my legs because they would have been, ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

I can't believe I went out like this. I'm not obsessed with my looks, but I did have a healthy amount of vanity. When I looked at myself again, I looked much better, but my face was too skinny. I had to start eating more. I was feeling rejuvenated and still had time to kill so I grabbed a pair of scissors and decided to cut myself some bangs. I cut just below my eyes and it looked great. Through the mirror I saw my MP3. I loved music and Edward tainted it. Well, it was time for that to change. I took in a deep breath, preparing myself to actually listen and put on my favorite play list on, attaching the cord to speakers. Some 90's pop song began to play; my body moved to the beat. S_ee? Not so bad._ I told myself.

A month passed and I was getting better. My dad saw the difference and now he looked as alive as I did. The dark circles and weight loss had affected both of us as I grieved, but now it seemed like a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulders. We both gained weight and actually got sleep. He didn't bring up my change in mood; I'm guessing he didn't want to rock the boat. I felt completely different and everyone noticed. I seemed to have gained some lost confidence when I accepting that the bad experience was not my fault. Any girl would have fared the same, but I was going to be okay. I was given a fresh start and no one brought up the Cullens or my reaction to their departure.

The betrayal and the wasted months hurt still, but I was learning to cope. I became sociable and went out with my friends on the weekends. I went to a sleep over where we did all the girly things but I didn't cringe at the idea; I had fun. Even my wardrobe changed. Before I would wear clothes that blended into the background. Now I wore clothes that fit me and my awesome new haircut (that I gave myself but no one noticed). Music and literature once again returned to my life but it seemed like a dark cloud was still overhead. The scar on my wrist served as a reminder. I was getting over the boy, but the true nightmare was just beginning and the monster began to haunt me.

I began to dream about James. His red eyes turning black as he broke my bones. The blood that pooled on the floor haunted me. Every time, he was successful in draining me. I would wake up in a cold sweat but no screams would escape my lips. I started losing sleep to the nightmares. Now that I was aware of vampires, I was truly scared. What if one of the other two came back? What if the Cullens came back? I no longer was able to see them as people as I did before. My mind was plagued with images of them as feral as James or Jasper when they went after me. Images of them butchering an animal and sucking its blood would randomly enter my mind when I thought of them. I shuddered with each mental picture; I hated blood.

Whenever I thought of Edward, the crooked smile was not what pictured. My mind would only focus on the images of the first time I entered Mr. Banner's Biology class, when his eyes were black from the bloodlust. His face contorted in to a mask of hate, disgust, and hunger. Those images plagued my mind and they were taking their toll. I was terrified and I had no one to confide in. Since I had no job, which I lost late November because according to Mrs. Newton I had lost my spunk and I was too depressed for customer service, which was true but still, I had a lot of time to think about things. My mind was very creative and every possible scenario of what would have happened if the Cullens hadn't left plagued my mind. One of them could have killed me. I would have died a ninety-five year old virgin while Edward stayed seventeen forever. I would become one of them come home and drain my dad or babies, little newborn babies. I would picture myself with red soulless eyes of a murderer, a monster or I would image myself with gold eyes alone, forever by myself, when Edward got tired of me and found a new toy to play with, alone for eternity.

During one of my over-thinking freak outs, while driving, I saw that I took a wrong turn. I parked my truck to see where I was at. I looked around and saw that I knew where I was and just had to turn left to be on the right path to the grocery store it was, Saturday. As I looked around I saw two motorcycles. They were a mess, but the sign said free. Ha, those things looked like they would cost a fortune if you took them to a mechanic. Then I thought of my truck. Jacob fixed it. Maybe investing in the parts won't be that expensive. It didn't hurt to ask and they were free so why not? If it was in my budget, I could pay for the parts and he could fix them. I'll let him have one too. It was a good trade. It'd be a nice distraction. I needed to get out of the house and I've always wanted to ride one. I went and knocked on the door a guy, who looked a few years older than me, answered the door. I asked if they were really free. He said yes and helped me put the bikes in the bed of my truck. We made small talk. He asked me out, but I wasn't ready. He saw my hesitation and gave me his number, telling me to call him if I changed my mind. I agreed and left. He was alright but I just wasn't ready.

I called my dad asking for directions to the Black's house. He sounded surprised but gave me the address and told me he would join me around seven he would bring pizza. I arrived at the address. I saw their small, red home as my truck rumbled to a stop. Jacob was standing, waiting on the porch, with a confused expression. His confusion turned into a bright smile when I waved at him_. Wow, he could really smile_. Two guys, around his age, stepped out of the house. Jacob waved them off and they headed to the shed in the back. I jumped out of my truck and he came around, leaning on the passenger side of my baby. Oh, how I love my truck.

"Hey," I said with a smile.

"Hey," he replied. He looked confused as to what I was doing there, because I arrived out of the blue.

"So, what do you knows about motorcycles? Do you know how to fix them?" I inquired.

"Yeah, I know some stuff," he answered with a smile.

"Well, I got this bike and I wanted to know if you could do your magic and ask how much it would cost," I said as I walked around I took the tarp off the bikes to show him.

He studied them and then turned to me and smiled a blindly bright smile, "Yeah I think I could fix it, if we get parts at the junkyard it will probably be around a hundred dollars, and if you sold that one you'd probably make a profit," he pointed to the black one and then added, "I'll do it for you as a favor," answering my next question, how much he will charge giving me a look as to not question him.

"Yeah, that's reasonable. That's the cost for both? Will you do it?" he nodded, "Awesome! I'll probably end up wrecking it the first time I use it. You can have the black one since you want no pay. I'll pay for all the parts. And you can teach me how to ride?" I added excitedly. This would keep my mind off the creepy stuff and maybe clear my head if I focus on something else and keep myself busy.

"Alright let's move them to the shed. I know for a fact that Charlie would kill you if he saw that you were the owner of a motorcycle. He would probably launch himself into a long speech, telling you how he has scraped countless of brains and guts from the highway," he said with a smirk as he jumped on the truck bed to move the bike closer. I tried to help but I just got in the way. He was able to bring one down by himself. He was stronger than he looked. I made some comment about the Hulk. Those bikes were heavy and he moved them like they were nothing. He pushed the black bike to the shed and told me to follow him; I did. The two boys stood up and ran to the bike poking at it and asking questions that I didn't understand. Maybe I should get a book that would teach me how to talk car. Good idea. I made a mental note to buy books about motorcycles and cars for dummies; it wouldn't hurt to learn something new things. As I pondered this, the guys left to get the other one. They seemed excited to have a new toy to play with.

The day went on in absolute ease. The guys started to take apart the bikes telling stories about funny things that happened in school or just talking about everything. Quil and Embry. Quil was confident and cocky and Embry was shy and soft spoken, but only in the beginning. We got along great. They shared some of the local La Push gossip. Some people's lives seemed like a badly written script from a soap opera. This guy, Sam, mysteriously disappeared for months. When he came back he completely changed physically and he cut ties with his friends. He dumped his fiancé for her cousin and then other guys started joining him in his weird behavior. They all cut their hair short and stopped hanging out with their old friends. Quil voiced his opinion saying that he thought it some sort of satanic cult and Sam was their leader. This made everyone laugh. Jacob said they were a gang. I could tell the guys were afraid of them. I told them to just stay away from them. We blended well together and there was no awkwardness whatsoever. I felt that I had gained three new friends. We made plans to continue our activities on Sunday. Jacob and I would head out to get the parts since all four of us wouldn't fit in my truck and the guys would join us later. Dad arrived with pizza, we ate, and I went home. The nightmares didn't come, I slept dreamlessly. We got the parts the next day and headed back to his place where the guys joined us.

We hung out on the weekends, in Jacob's shed, while the guys worked on the bikes. I learned a thing or two and was an active participant in the last final week. We met up on Wednesdays to study together. I offered my assistance when they had a question. I enjoyed explaining concepts and formulas to them making me consider becoming a teacher in the future. The four of us became quite close. I joined their inner circle. They still talked about vulgar boy stuff but I was okay with it. Quil especially knew how to make me blush with the stuff that came out of his mouth. He had no censor. What surprised me the most was that Embry was exactly like him, just a bit more toned down. Jacob, he was a happy mix of them both. He was my favorite because the boy was like sunshine. You couldn't help but like him.

Friday nights I reserved for my friends from Forks, my life was in balance. I had gained a good amount of weight. My newfound curves got me more attention. I received more offers to go out on dates, but I wanted to first get a handle of who I am, rather than being swept up by boy. I don't want to drown again. I was over the boy, but the monster still haunted me. My nightmares continued and, on occasion, I'd fall into hysterics if I let my mind wander, so I kept busy.

After three weeks the bikes were finally finished. We took them out to a clearing a few miles from Jacob's house. Embry brought his too, so there were three bikes for the four of us. We decided to share turns. I had bought myself a helmet sure I would fall. I had bought a book on motorcycles, like I said I would, so I wasn't completely clueless, but the guys still had to teach me. I learned fast but I did crash. Thank goodness I had a helmet; otherwise I would have a giant gash on my forehead. After the crash, I gave up for the day and let the boys play. I told the guys they were welcome to use my bike whenever they wished. I was very impressed by their skills. They did crazy stunts that, if attempted by me, I would probably end up with some sort of spinal cord injury. As I sat watching them, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I had an uneasy feeling that I was being watched. I looked towards the trees but saw nothing.

Embry was not feeling well and I pressed my hand against his forehead. He was burning up, so we took him home. He missed two weeks of school and we were getting worried. Then on the Friday of the second week, he went to back school, completely ignoring Jacob and Quil. Jake called me telling me that Embry joined Sam. He said that Embry looked different just like the others had, that he had even cut his hair just like the others. I went to La Push that night; both Jacob and Quil were disturbed by this. Jake said that Sam was looking at him funny, like he was expecting something to happen. Both of the guys were terrified that they would be next. I was scared, too.

Saturday came and, as usual, I went to La Push. Quil had been grounded so it was just Jake and I. We decided to go to the beach. It was cold so it wasn't crowded. We ended up in the same spot where he originally told me about the cold ones. The thought brought a shudder. Jacob noticed and asked what was wrong. I wanted to tell someone; I felt so alone with this secret and scared because of the knowledge that I had. Maybe I could tell him. He already knew, he just didn't believe they were true. Could I share my knowledge with him, tell him that monsters are real, and risk being seen as a lunatic? I was going mad; I had to tell someone. I didn't care if I was being selfish.

"Do you remember the scary stories that you told me about a year ago," I asked, then I blushed remembering how I had attempted to flirt with him and how it worked. Jacob touched my red cheek and smiled.

"Yeah I remember, you batted your eyes at me and I told you the tribal secrets," he laughed at this and I joined him, turning completely red at the humiliating memory, "You know I would so get in trouble if my dad found out I told you. The cold ones right?" I nodded, "What about them?" he asked with complete curiosity on his face.

"What if I told you they were true?" I peeked to look at his face. His smile widened then disappeared when he saw my face.

"What do you mean?" he asked possibly feeling uncomfortable talking to a lunatic.

"You know the Cullens being the cold ones. Why do you think your dad hated them?" he looked at my face again trying to find humor in them. He found none; he believed me.

"But you went out with that copper headed kid, Edwin. Why didn't he eat you? You're not messing with me are you?" I shook my head.

"Yeah, I went out with Edward. They're all vampires," I said.

"Why would you go out with him? You let him kiss you…Vampire equals dead, doesn't it?" he asked slightly disgusted, his face scrunched up.

"Yeah, well, I don't know. I think he played me, with his vampire seduction powers. I would have done anything for him. Everything about him was intoxicating. When he looked into my eyes and smiled, I was vulnerable to his charm. He would manipulate me to get me to do stuff," Jacob's eyes shot up and widened, my vague usage of 'do stuff' freaked him out. I slapped his arm, "No, nothing like that he was a prude. A one hundred year old virgin, thank God."

"Seriously a century on this earth and he's a virgin? I'm planning on losing mine before I turn eighteen. Wow a virgin," he snickered. Wow, the simple stupidity that is a teenage boy.

"Anyway, you're one of my best friends and I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this. I'm over Edward Cullen. I don't think I was ever really in love with him, just under some kind of love spell. You heard how I was the first few months when they left? I was broken, but I woke up, and now I can see clearly. But I've been having nightmares and panic attacks when I'm alone or when I let my mind wander. My mind goes to dark places," I looked at him, tears were stinging my eyes. "You know why they left? They left because one attacked me. He didn't get close to actually touch me because Edward pushed him away, but he pushed me away, too. This scar here," I pointed to the thick scar on my fore arm, "is when I landed on some glass plates. I've been having this nightmare that they're going to come back and kill me. I am so scared.

"Do you remember when I ran away to Phoenix, and got hurt? Broken leg, hip, fractured skull, and four, broken ribs. Well I didn't fall from any staircase. A vampire attacked me. He threw me around and bit me. I'm not a vampire because Edward sucked out the venom. He, James, tried to drain me, but the Cullens showed up and killed him," I looked at him. His face was guarded and I had been absently tracing the scar on my wrist of where James bit me. Jacob took my arm and inspected it. He touched the scar and held it to the light; it was faint but was visible.

"It's cold, like ice and hard," he said in an awed voice.

"Yeah and in the sunlight it kind of sparkles. Once, I poked it with a needle. The needle broke," I added. This was easier than I thought.

"It sparkles? Why?" he asked confused.

"Vampires can't go out in the sun light. They won't catch on fire but they do sparkle like diamonds in the sun," I said. He started laughing in hysterics, "What?"

"They sparkle like fairies, so scary," he said in between giggles.

"Are you giggling?" I asked amused. That sobered him up and he cleared his throat nodding his head for me to continue.

"I know this sounds crazy, and if you tell anyone, I'll deny it but I had to tell someone," I said in quiet voice.

"Hey you, I believe you. That Cullen kid freaked me out. He was to perfect and just plain scary. Why didn't you stay away from him, and you knew what he was?"

"Well he was perfect and he wanted me. I was stupid, but if the blond one, Rosalie decided she wanted you, I bet you wouldn't have stayed away," I told him with a raised eyebrow. He looked thoughtful probably trying to remember her. He opened his mouth then closed it.

He looked sheepish and answered, "Yeah you are probably right she was hot, too bad that she's a leech."

"So are sleeping with a stake underneath your pillow? I can just imagine you doing a back flip and staking a bloodsucker in the heart. Do you think they will come back?" Jacob asked teasing but he seemed worried also.

"They are indestructible. No wooden stakes will work. They're really fast and strong. They could kill you without you even knowing it. I hope they don't come back, but I'm scared they will. Edward promised that I would never see them again, but if they do come back I'm afraid I'll submit to whatever spell I was under, again."

We were silent for a long while, "Other than the scary 'I want to drink your blood' thing and the Edward messing with my heart, there were some perks to being involved with the supernatural. Interesting stuff," I said off handedly.

"Like what?" he bumped me on the shoulder to hurry up and tell him; he was extremely curious.

"Emmett, he was the big one and very intimidating. He was a big softy; he's the only one I wouldn't mind seeing again. He was like the big brother I always wanted. The Cullens were kind of boring, but he stayed with the times, playing video games and listening to rap. He was just fun. I miss him; I think you'd like him," he raised an eyebrow, as if to say_ 'Is that it? That was what was so interesting?' _"Some of the Cullens have powers."

"What do you mean powers? Can they turn invisible or have laser vision," he joked.

"Nope, nothing as cool as that. Edward could read minds, except me. I think that's why he chose me to mess with. I was puzzle waiting to be solved. Alice, the little one with spiky hair, could see the future. Her mate Jasper, the tall blond one, he could feel and manipulate emotions. I think he could take over the world with that power. He could mold someone's will if he wanted. He was the most powerful I think. But the Cullens had him on a leash, especially Alice. I kinda feel sorry for him," I told him.

"The pixie vamp could see the future? Man, you should have asked her for the winning lottery numbers! Imagine the possibilities," he was completely in awe of the possibility.

"Well she did do that with the stock market. She handled all their investments," a thought crossed my mind, and a large Cheshire cat smile spread on my face, "On one of our sleep over nights, she had a vision of some company that was going to come up with some revolutionary product that would bring investors their investment more than ten fold. I remember the company name. She said something about March. I'll find it, and right now the stocks should be cheap because the company is filing for bankruptcy. There were others but I can't remember. It'll come to me later." Yeah, I wanted to try it. I looked at Jacob who looked exited about the possibility. "I need money for college. I'm probably going to have to take a year off, since I didn't apply anywhere and I am starting to like it here. I don't think I want to apply anywhere out of state. Maybe I could do internet classes or community college." Throughout my rambling, Jacob just nodded while staring at me wide eyed. I guess it was too much information for him to handle.

"Okay let's head back. Thanks for listening, Jacob. I feel a little bit lighter, the secret was crushing," I said earnestly.

"Bella, I'm glad you told me even though I'll probably have nightmares now," he teased, "No, seriously you are my friend. Our dads are best friends. We kind of grew up together…Well, that's a stretch. But we were inseparable the summers you were here. When you didn't come back, I felt like I had lost my best friend. I had missed you. I'm glad you are here now and trusting me with all this craziness," he stood up and extended a hand to me I took it and stood up.

"Thank you," I said again. I hugged him. Wow he had gotten big.

That night I researched my future investment. It took me a while, but I found a good investment company. My parents had been putting money in my account since I was born so I had at least ten thousand dollars. I was eighteen, reasonable, and responsible so I needed no signed permission slip from my parents to withdraw the money. I was anxious. It was such a big gamble if I lost the money my parents would so kill me, but I just had to try.

That night I slept soundlessly. The talk with Jacob had gone good and it gave me some piece of mind that I wasn't alone anymore. The next morning I called the investment company, to buy the stocks. They were wary as to why I was investing on a company filing for bankruptcy and tried to get me to invest in a more me reasonable investment but I was set. A lot of investors were trying to dump the stock, so I was able to gamble all of it. When I told Jacob what I did, he was in shock. He looked kind of sick that I was risking so much money. I was too, I could not believe I did it. My stomach was in knots and every time I thought about it I'd feel like I would throw up.

"Just so you know, if we make money, I am letting you borrow one thousand dollars. You will get that cut, and don't argue," he gave me a stern look but gave me a defeated smile and thanked me.

To keep my mind off the stupidity of risking my college fund, I talked about the other Cullens. I also filled him in on most of what happened with Edward. He asked what the others were like.

"Well Carlisle was the leader; they liked to consider themselves a family rather than a coven, so he was the father figure. He is, like, three centuries old. He was a preacher's son and he was also a vampire hunter when he was human, yeah how ironic. Anyway his father used to be one of those people who screamed 'witch!' and then burn some innocent women, kind of like Salem. Carlisle actually found a coven and was bitten. He knew what he was and he didn't want to exist. He tried to kill himself for a while and then he ate a deer. He was happy because he didn't have to kill humans. Later, he became a doctor and moved to America. He got lonely then he made Edward and then he changed his mate, Esme. She had jumped of a cliff, because her baby died, when he found her. She is kind of like a Stepford wife, like that movie. She's the ideal mom. She stays home and tends to the home. She even says 'oh dear' and chastises the 'children' even though she is the same age as them. It's kind of weird and too perfect. Then he made Rosalie, for Edward, he did not want her. She hated me. Then Emmett was next. Rosalie found him being attacked by a bear and she wanted him. Carlisle changed him for her. Alice and Jasper joined later, together. Alice doesn't remember who she was before her change. We found out through James that she was in a mental institution before her change. She is hyper and bossy and completely obsessed with shopping. Like _really_ obsessed. She had a closet bigger than my whole house. She's never wore anything twice. My clothes made her itch like a crack addict waiting to get their next fix. One time she actually stole all my clothes and burned them because I had worn them to many times or they were from Wal-Mart. Sometimes she was too much, and her visions would get annoying. Anyway her mate Jasper never really talked to me. They said he had control problems. He was the one who tried to eat me. Well Emmett told me he was one scary SOB and a lot of vampires are afraid of him. He told me Jasper was like a soldier in some sort of vampire war and he killed hundreds of vampires. That's why he had so many scars. I never saw any scars but Emmett told me he has hundreds all over his body, little reminders of those he killed," I told him.

"Wow, I still can't believe the legends are true. Next you'll be telling me unicorns and werewolves exist, too," he said with a smile, "Let's go on our bikes, no more vampires."

As we drove to the clearing, I saw a man jumping of a cliff. I slammed on the breaks and motioned to Jacob, "What are they doing? Won't they like die from up there?" I asked.

"They're cliff diving. It's Sam's gang and that one right there is Embry. I can't believe he's with them. We've been friends since birth. I just don't understand. He hated them just as much as I did," he shook his head visibly shaken, "You know what? They have a name now: The Protectors. They've been watching me. At school, they just watch," his voice just cracked at the end.

"Oh Jake, nothing is going to happened to you. Maybe it's just some sort of big misunderstanding. Have you tried to talk to your dad about it?" I asked him rubbing circles on his back; he was really upset.

"He says that I don't understand and I will soon enough. He knows what's going on but he won't tell me," he sighed.

"Well if it gets too bad, you can move in with me, or we will run away. I'm going to be rich," I wiggled my eyebrows he just snorted and we both laughed. We rode our bikes until it got dark. I was getting good. That night, I went home thinking about what Jacob said. There was something shady about Sam and his gang that was for sure. Sam, he was the one that found me in the woods that night. Without him, I would be dead so maybe he wasn't that bad. But Edward saved my life more than once and he turned out to be bad.

My relationship with my father was a lot better. We weren't as stand offish as we were. I called him dad instead of Charlie. He was very pleased that I got over my depression. It was obvious he felt overwhelmed. I had taken it on myself to repaint the yellow kitchen. My dad had to move on and maybe a simple, fresh coat of paint was the beginning. He was still so hung on mom. My dad was pleased with all the time I was spending with Jake. I think he secretly wanted us to end up together. Well, even if that happened in the future, I don't see it now. I have to fix myself before I even think about being with a boy, even my best friend. I am simply not ready.

School had become enjoyable. I've never been close to people my age, but I've finally come out of my shell. Jess and Angela have become the best girlfriends I've ever had and I'll miss them when we graduate. They all intend on moving out of state so I'll probably never see them again.

I went to my room, and wanting a book to read. The one I wanted was on the top of the book shelf, too high for my reach so I used a hanger to pull it towards me. I ended up dropping half of the shelf on the floor. I kneeled down to pick the books up and I saw it, a loose floor board. I saw something and I moved the books to investigate. I lifted the floor board. Underneath were the things Edward took away: the plane tickets, the CD, the pictures. I didn't know what to think. I saw the pictures of Edward and I frowned. I never belonged with him. We weren't even the same species. It was just wrong and unnatural. His face was perfect, too perfect, and in the picture the girl's eyes shone with love and happiness. Now instead of hurt, all I felt was anger.

I took out my cell and called Jacob, "Hello Jacob."

"Yeah, what is it Bella?" Jacob asked.

"Remember I told you about how he took my things, well he didn't take them he hid them under my floor board. I am so frickin' angry right now."

"Well throw it away, draw daggers in his eyes; I know you could burn it. My sister made me watch this movie where this girl had a bad break up, so she gathered all the things that reminded her of him and burned it in a place of significance. They said something about it cleanses the soul, or something. Yeah," he mumbled at the end. I liked the idea maybe it will help letting go of the anger if I have some sort of outlet. It's not like I could find Edward Cullen and hit him over the head with a baseball bat for being a jerk. I'll do second best thing and burn these reminders of the lie. I wish I could go burn down the Cullen house, but that would only get me arrested. I thought about the other point he made to burn it somewhere significant. Maybe at the Cullen house or Edward's meadow.

"Jacob, that sounds like a great idea. I know where I want to do this but I don't know exactly where it is, just where to begin and the general direction it was in," I said.

"I think we could find it. If we grid it on a map and by process of elimination….We'll find it. We could go on Friday since it's going to be a three day weekend," he added.

"Alright Jacob, thank you, bye," I said, he said bye and we hung up. I put the items in a box and threw it in the closet. Jeeze that boy is like a gift from the gods. I can tell he has a crush on me but he hasn't tried anything and, for that, I'm glad. If he did try something, I'd probably end up turning him down and I don't want to hurt him. I'm not ready for a relationship because I want to be without issues when I start one. I still have some hurt that trickles in when I think of the rest of the Cullens, Alice and Emmett especially. I thought them as siblings; I had loved them like siblings but they just left without goodbye. But the anger had been building throughout these months because they must have known that Edward was playing me, especially Alice and Jasper with their gifts. Alice could've seen how they'd end up hurting me by they're presence and departure or how I was left to die in the forest (Edward had forged a note so my dad would find me. Alice must have seen that I was stupid enough to follow him or he left me there) or how I spent those first few months in depression. But the anger isn't consuming, because I'm alive and they left me alone and for that I am grateful.

The next two weekends Jake and I would go hiking. Quil couldn't come because he was still grounded. That boy had a smart mouth on him and it always got him in trouble. Embry continued avoiding the boys, so I haven't seen him in weeks. I don't know what make of it but if they take Jake, I'll make them pay. Enough of that. We spent our days hiking trying to find the meadow, with no luck. The hiking was surprisingly fun. Ever since I'd been dealing with my issues and got over the self worthlessness Edward's departure caused, I became more confident which in turn made me less clumsy. I ate better and with all the playing with the guys with the bikes and the beach, I had become healthier and fit.

On the second Sunday, we decided to take a break from looking for the meadow. We ended up going to Port Angeles. We took Jacob's baby, a Volkswagen Rabbit. It was a tiny little thing, but he built it with his own hands and he was proud of it. Quil and I helped—my contribution was helping with the engine—he was a natural, as was Quil. I learned by reading about it and was able to carry it out and understand. It was awesome. By the time I learned the basics, I was able to do a whole service on my truck, under Jacob watchful eyes of course but by myself. I loved that truck and I was going to keep it alive for as long as possible.

We had just finished watching a movie and we were hungry, so we went somewhere cheap, picking McDonalds. We went inside and ordered. As we waited for our food Jacob stiffened next to me; I turned to see what was bothering him and I saw Embry with two other boys. Embry kept his head down, the other two looking in our direction; one was glaring in my direction. I looked away his stare was intense. All three looked very similar, they were all Quileute, dark skinned, and they were huge, tall, and muscle-y. Something made me pause as I looked at Embry. His sweet face was older and he looked like he had experienced something bad. He lifted his head and glanced in our direction. I waved and smiled slightly, he paused, and I saw a flash of longing in his eyes, but he turned away without acknowledging me. Jacob saw this and he started to tremble and walking in their direction. I grabbed his arm and felt his shaking decrease but his skin was hot, feverish even. Just like Embry was the last day we hung out.

"Jake come on. Let's get our order. It's done; we'll eat at the park down the block okay?" I said trying to defuse the situation because it looked like he wanted to confront Embry. He looked furious. One of the guys was pushed out of his chair, preparing himself for something. The other put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down but his face was alert. I was getting Jake out before one of them did anything. I dragged Jacob out, well not literally since he had grown to 6'2" and had gained a lot of muscle. We walked to the park.

"So, what was that? It looked as if you were ready to break some limbs," I asked him in between chews.

"Embry just got me so mad. We've been friends forever and then he ditches us. He's like my brother and you don't do that to family," he sighed, he really missed him. "Let's change topic, are your parents going to kill you yet?" he asked teasingly. "Or are you rich?"

"Huh?" I responded dumbly, oh the investments. "Well at first they were losing value, I threw up before and after I checked since I was able to access it online daily. But it's been steadily gaining worth. I remember Alice said to sell after summer. She also talked about a pharmaceutical company coming up with some sort of new polymer, and some other companies…well I wrote them down on piece of paper. If we are successful, we could like go to college or you could open your shop that you keep talking about. That would be a good investment," he looked at me with wide eyes. I raise my eyebrow asking 'what.'

"You would do that, I mean invest in the garage, for me?" he asked incredulous.

"Heck yeah! You would so make me loads of money. We could be partners. Maybe I could go to school for business and take classes in investing and accounting," I said seriously. "If I sold the stocks now I would gain one thousand dollars, once they introduce the new product we'll be rich, well like ninety thousand dollars richer and since I promised I let you borrow one grand, so you get like ten thousand dollars," I said excitedly, hoped this tip was good or else I would die from a hole in my stomach. He just rolled his eyes and smiled saying his sure, sure.

"So are you going to stay around once you graduate?" he asked with a hopeful expression.

"I think I am. This place feels like home. I'm finally close to my dad. I have you my best friend and I really like it here," I said truthfully. We were still sitting on a bench at a park, I chilly wind blew I shivered, Jacob seemed unaffected.

"Jacob let go, its cold out here," I said taking his hand. I noticed that he hand was still hot; I stretched to reach his forehead. I furrowed my brows, worried. "Jacob, you have a fever, I'll drive. Are you feeling okay?" I asked as we got in the car.

"Yeah I feel great; maybe you're just cold in comparison. There's nothing wrong with me, and I'm driving," he snapped.

"Alright, I was just worried; you don't have to bite my head off. Jeez…" I said slightly offended and hurt.

"Bee, I am sorry, maybe I am feeling a little off. You can drive," he said in a defeated voice.

"Bee? New nickname? Can I call you Jay? Bee and Jay. Jay and Bee. I like it," I questioned. I looked at him he just shrugged, maybe not.

We got to my place, I wanted to take him but he refused, he promised to call when he home. I wanted anxiously for twenty minutes until I couldn't wait anymore and called. It wrong three times and some one answered.

"What?" someone growled. Growled?

"Jake are you alright?" I asked worriedly.

"Bells?" he sighed, "Yeah I'm alright, I just don't feel right."

"Okay, go to sleep and take some Tylenol for the fever. I'll call tomorrow to check on you. Maybe I'll come over and bring you some soup?"

"Yeah, call, I'll probably asleep all day tomorrow. See you, when I see you. Bye," he said and then hung up. I hoped he felt better.

The next day I attended school. School had always been an evil forced on me. I loved to learn but I hated the down time especially lunch. I hated small talk and I just didn't fit in. Now I loved it. I enjoy all aspects of my life and I was truly happy for the first time in a long time. I learned and got to hang out with my friends, we talked about nothing life altering but we would have fun and joke around. Wednesdays and weekends were spent with Jacob and Quil when he wasn't grounded. Fridays were reserved for my school crowd or the girls. We always did something.

My evenings with Dad changed; they weren't as cold as before. We used to be so distant, almost like strangers, but now we would talk, nothing meaningful, but we spent time together. I even watch the games with my dad now. At first I couldn't follow and I thought it as kind of boring but after a while I started enjoying game nights. I had to read the rules and some stats for any of the games to make any sense. I made an effort to call my mother more often. She sounded ecstatic that I became chattier. We would spend hours talking about the local gossip; she would call for weekly updates.

My life was in balance, with my friends, parents, and time. That is, until Jacob got sick. Monday night I called, Billy answered. I asked how Jacob was. He told me he was sick. I offered to come over but he said it was best if I didn't. I didn't want to impose so I said my goodnights. A week passed with the same excuse. I was getting nervous and I told Billy I was coming over. He told me he was getting a family friend to take Jacob to Seattle to see a specialist so I'd only arrive to an empty house. My worries were growing. I hadn't seen Jacob for almost two weeks.

I called the following day. Billy said that the specialist found nothing and he was taking him to a medicine doctor on another reservation. My mind went through various horrible possibilities from cancer to genetic disorders. Billy was vague in describing the symptoms but with the fever he had, I only assumed it was worse. I was afraid he would die. That thought made me nauseas. Both my dad and my friends saw how Jacob's mysterious sickness was affecting me. How could it not? He was important to me. I love him and I couldn't lose him. I barely slept and I was always sick with worry. A month passed with no change. My queasiness decreased a bit when I checked my investment. My stocks were gaining value. If I sold now, I'd make a profit of fifty thousand dollars. Rumors of the product were leaking out and when it actually came out, the worth would double. I would wait until then. That was a small load off my shoulders but Jacob was always on my mind.

It was a Saturday when I received a call from Quil. He asked for a ride to Port Angeles and I agreed. I went to pick him up early. He wanted to get his mother a birthday present. He needed my advice and a ride since Jacob was not available to take him. I took him to the mall. We made small talk but he looked as horrible as me. We kept the conversation light, neither of us bringing up Jacob. He chose a nice silver necklace with a pendant of a feather, it was delicate and beautiful. While we were there we ate and watched a movie. He was quiet for most of the evening.

On the ride home, we listened to the radio. I finally gathered the courage to ask about Jacob when we were almost in La Push. I had stopped calling his house because Billy insisted that he would call if there was any change. "Um, Quil how is J-Jacob?" I stuttered out nervously.

"Jacob is with Sam," he said in a hard but hurt voice.

"What? When did he come back to La Push? Is he feeling better? Why is he with Sam and for how long?" I asked excited at the news that Jake was better but a bit disturbed that he was with Sam.

"What do you mean? When did he leave La Push? He has been with Sam for over a month," he asked confused.

"What…? Billy told me he was sick and that he took him to stay at another reservation to be looked after. Why would he lie to me?" I whispered the final question, tears forming in my eyes. "I thought he was really sick, like I am going to die sick," I swallowed a sob as we made it to Quil's house.

"Bella, I don't know. He's been avoiding me just like Embry. I can't believe Billy told you that. It's just…cruel," he paused awkwardly and changing the subject, "Thank you for today. Since all my friends ditched me, I haven't really done anything in a while. We should do this another time," he said with a slight blush burning his cheeks. I nodded and gave him a wave and small smile.

My mind could not wrap around the fact that there was never anything wrong with Jacob as Billy had said. I couldn't believe he lied to me and Jacob didn't try to contact me. I told Jacob he could come to me with anything, especially the Sam thing. I trusted him with all my secrets and I thought he would trust me with any problem he had. I've been so worried, and he's been okay this whole time. I swallowed down the hurt, the months of lies, and decided to go see him. He had to tell me. What could be so bad that Billy had to lie to me? I drove through the familiar rode to Jacob's house. With every passing second, dread started filling me and then hurt would consume me and then anger would replace all else. My emotions were all over the place but my resolve and confidence were strong. I wanted to know what was going on. He was my best friend and I would fight for him.

My truck came to a stop. My breathing became labored. A minute later I got myself under control and looked towards the door. Billy was there with a slightly guilty look on his face. I got out of my truck and walked toward him stopping a few yards away from him.

"Billy," I nodded in greeting.

"Bella," he nodded back.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, he lied to me. "How is Jacob?" I asked simply.

"He is getting better. He should be able to come home soon," he said in a low voice, not looking at me. He knew I knew he was lying.

"Billy I know you've been lying to me. I want to see him. I'll stay here until I see him," I said with a hard voice. I crossed my arms and firmly planted my feet.

He sighed and gave me a small apologetic smile which I turned my head at and ignored. He sighed again and wheeled himself inside. I sighed and started heading for my truck to wait, when I heard loud, harsh whispers and a loud crash. It was around six in the afternoon the sun had not yet set but it was getting chilly, so I continued to my truck and sat in my passenger seat with my legs hanging out the door. I closed my eyes for a second, until I heard a door shut that made me jump, and I fell forward. I was able to grab onto the door handle that helped me avoid me falling on my face but I twisted and landed on my butt instead, good thing I had gained weight because that could so have hurt so much worse. I heard a laugh I prepared a glare for the person and I looked up. It was Jacob.

"Jacob," I said so quietly that it was lost in the wind; I jumped up and threw myself at him. He peeled me off of him and took several steps back. I just stared at him, a whole month without him felt like forever. He was not wearing a shirt, and I just stared. His chest was defined, his arms were thicker, and his muscles were well developed. I was shocked he looked so different, I looked at his face it had become hard and older. All childhood sweetness gone. The beautiful smile that always graced his face was gone. The aura of sunshine that he used to emit was missing. He looked dejected. His eyes were hard and he was basically glaring at the floor. Something happened.

"Jake, what's, going on? You cut your beautiful hair," that in itself should been a sin, "Why have you been avoiding me, making your dad lie? You know how crazy… I been going crazy, thinking the worse, that you had some sort of crazy disease that was going to kill you. You know how my mind works. I over think these kinds of things with every scenario I can come up with. I would image your lifeless body and I would mourn you. W-why?" my voice cracked and tears started forming and falling. He snuck a peek at me, his eyes flashed with pain, and then he turned to glare at the house. He continued to glare at the door. "Tell me, please, maybe, I can help. Please," I pleaded.

"I…Bella I am sorry, but we can't be friends. I –I can't see you any more," he said in a defeated voice not meeting my eyes.

"Look at me, Jake. You are my best friend. You helped me from going crazy, from the nightmares that were plaguing me. Please let me help you," he met my eyes his face was completely crestfallen, I took a step forward he took a step back, "Is it Sam? Did he do this? Make me understand, please," I pleaded. His eyes flashed with anger at my mention of Sam. "Can you not tell me? Is that what's going on? Is he threatening you?" I asked angrily.

He stare was fixated on my face. He still hadn't said anything. "Jacob, I told you before if you need an out that I would go with you. We could just get in the car and drive away," his face seemed desperate trying to convey some message, he open his mouth like he was struggling with words to speak.

"I can't Bella it's not that simple," he replied angrily and he was shaking slightly.

"But it can be. Come with me," I said desperately.

"I can't, we can't be friends," he said angrily, "I don't want to be friends."

That made me pause. Hurt started to spread in me like a disease, but his eyes screamed: _LIE!_ He was lying; his eyes screamed for me to understand, but I just didn't. What was he trying to tell me?

"I don't believe you. I want to know what's happening, tell me, because I just don't understand. What secret are you try hide from me?" his eyes flashed to me at the mention of a secret, that in itself meant there was a secret, something big and completely life changing.

"Bella…" he started. He turned to the door. There stood three men with hard faces, Embry amongst them, looked at me sympathetically then turned away. He flanked a larger Quileute man who looked older, which meant he was probably Sam. His eyes were fixated on Jake who was shaking slightly. I looked at the group again. They all had similar build, same short hair, and all there face held something I could not identify, the same you see from a soldier who barely came home from action and has seen to much. Something was going on, and I didn't like that Jacob was involved. I narrowed my eye at Sam (?) but he of course ignored me.

"I know there's something going on, something big," I looked him up and down at his new body and waving a hand pointing it out. "And you're not allowed to tell me." I turned back to Jake, "Jacob, I don't understand what's going on, but I see you are kind of…stuck. You can't see me for what ever reason or not allowed," I turned to give a quick glare at Sam. The other guy I didn't know had an amused smirk on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him. What was so funny? Then turned back to Jacob, "I can see that's not what you want, I'll wait until you figure it out or when you're ready to tell me? Just don't shut me out forever, okay. We could still talk on the phone, talk about nothing important, and I won't ask questions about whatever is going on with him," I added hopeful that he would.

"Well just be careful and stay safe. I'll miss you," I said in a whisper. He swallowed hard and nodded. I close the distance and kind of jumped as I kissed him on the cheek. He was a giant and his cheek was still burning up, I frowned at this. I gave a last glance at the guys their faces surprised me; they looked torn, even Sam. "Oh and Jake, if I ever find out that Sam is hurting you in whatever all you guys have going on, I know where Charlie's gun is and I know how to use it. I'll take him out for you," I said half teasingly, half serious. Jacob snorted, and his lip curved into a slight smile. I heard the guys on the porch laughing, even Sam's lip curved up. I didn't understand them. They couldn't have heard me, and I just shook my head to clear the thought.

"It's not him, I promise," I saw the truth in his eyes.

"So I don't need to hire a deprogrammer to save you from Sam's cult," I mumbled under my breath, I heard him laugh.

"Alright, I believe you," I said confused. If Sam wasn't the problem then what was? The brainwashing theory went right out the window. If Sam isn't the bad guy in this story, he'd better keep my Jacob safe. I headed to my car.

Something was going on. It made me uneasy, because it claimed two of my and Quil's friends. Jacob seemed frozen until he heard the truck engine start. His gaze met mine. His eyes were shining with unshed tears, I gave him a small smile, and he returned with a sad, watery smile. I nodded as reminder that I would wait till he was ready to tell me and I wouldn't push him to tell me or blame him if he can't. This wasn't his choice. I waved and then reversed onto the road. This was a goodbye for now. I wiped a tear that had fallen and headed home.

I got home completely exhausted and went straight to my room. I grabbed a pair or spare pajamas from my closet, and my eyes found the box which contained Edward's trinkets. Anger pulsed through me. I had to burn them. I would find the meadow and do it tomorrow, if I couldn't I'd just throw it in the garbage where it belonged, but I liked Jacob's idea better.

Jacob. I sighed hoping I could get him back. I love him. He makes my world shinier and brilliant. Jacob was involved in something big. He wasn't allowed to communicate with those outside the circle just like Embry had. He had dramatically changed physically, he looked older, he had gained a few inches, and he had gained like fifty or more pounds of muscle. Sam wasn't the reason for Jacob issue. Maybe he was just a side effect, maybe a guide. The others respected him. Jacob had to ask permission, from Sam I presume, he was the leader. Maybe he was going through some right of passage, some secret tribal tradition, or… I was too tired to think, so I fell onto my bed and opened my eyes eight hours later.

I was finally going to rid myself of the last of pieces of Edward. He had no place in my heart. He was becoming, but a distant memory that occasionally haunted my dreams, but that only occurred once in a blue moon. Edward had no place in my life, which included my closet. I was going to burn his memory. I was going to find that meadow. Jacob had helped me narrow down the possible location, I had three more grids on the map, hopefully I would get lucky and find it today, and I wish Jacob could be here with me, but he can't. I miss him.

I thought I really liked hiking but it was Jacob that made fun. By myself I freaked with every little noise I heard. I've been hiking for an hour. A distant memory came crashing into my conscious mind and fear began to swell. It had been months since it had affected me like this. He told me to beware of the woods because monsters are real and they may get you. This was a bad idea. My fear grew. Vampires are real, and they like to spend time in the woods. Jacob's words kept me from completely losing it. He told me that the odds of me running into another vampire by chance were very small and if I ever did recognize one of their kind, I should pretend to be ignorant and not draw attention to myself. I would start to walk faster with every noise I heard chanting to myself, _There is no vampire in the woods, there was no vampire who was going to eat me…_I broke through the trees and ran to the meadow, I threw my backpack down, and just spun looking around. It was gorgeous. Even though he brought me here, he wasn't tainting its beauty. I was enjoying this particular place from my memories. It was spring, so the wild flowers were tall and colorful, the sky was actually blue, but dark clouds were forming in the distance. I had a few hours before the rain hit.

I sat down on my knees and pulled the box and lighter out of my bag. I crossed my legs and opened the box with the pictures, plane tickets, and a copy of Romeo and Juliet. I had thrown the CD in the trash because it would've been toxic to burn. I pulled the plane tickets out of the box and put them back in my bag, it would be nice to see my mom again. Edward had given me an early copy of Romeo and Juliet, which I was defiantly not burning, so I took my old, worn out copy to substitute it; it was symbolic. He had always compared our relationship to Romeo and Juliet. He said our love was so deep that we wouldn't be able to live without the other. No way was I playing out a tragedy; that was just sick. Juliet was moving on and continuing to live. I wonder if he expected me to do something drastic like that when he left, go into all crazy and kill myself rather than live in a world where he didn't love me. Emmett use to joke that Edward was a broody, emo, overly dramatic vampire; it was true. Lastly, the pictures and some poems he wrote. I looked at the pictures one last time and was kind of disturbed at love and adoration I saw. We weren't even in the same species. It was like he was dating a hamburger, he smelled it, tasted it, and kept it safe from others eating it but never allowed himself to take a bite. Shivers went down my spine, nasty. His poems and letters varied, sprouting different lies I had once fallen for: _"I can't live without you" _and _"If you left me I would cease to exist"_ or _"I will stay with you until the day you die." _It was kind of morbid.

I heard a bird cry out, and my head spun around. I was on my feet in a matter of seconds startled by the loudness of the screech. My heart was hammering. I had to get out of here. I went to get my bag when I heard a loud chuckle. I turned around to find a dark figure walking toward me. He was a great distance away but getting closer. I would not be able outrun him. The laugh told me what he was, a vampire, it rung like bells. _Holy Buhjeebers! _I was going to die. I swallowed hard when I saw who it was, Laurent. One of James' coven. My breathing was becoming labored. I swallowed a lump in my throat and got my breathing under control. I was told he was with the Denali's in Alaska. Hope flared through me that he was trying the animal diet. Maybe he won't hurt me. He didn't join James and Victoria in the hunt, because the Cullens defended me. They killed James over me. He might be unaware that they left and cut all contact. For all he knew, I was still under their protection. He was taking his sweet time moving closer and I was frozen in place. As he neared, his eyes were glowing red and he had a pleased smile on his face; he had just fed. Dread was bubbled within me, but my heart rate and breathing were under control. There was still hope he wouldn't kill me if I lied successfully.

He stopped a few yards away from me.

"Ha, the Cullen pet, I was hoping I would find you," he said with an evil smile. I fought my urge to flinch as he showed his teeth. I swallowed hard. I wanted to live; I couldn't just quit, and start begging that he didn't kill me. I had to lie; it was my only chance to live.

"Laurent, what are you doing here? Weren't you with the Denali sisters? I heard from Alice that you were close to one," I said in a surprisingly steady but monotone voice. My hand balled up into fists crumpling the pictures and letters I still held in my hands.

"Yes, Irina she is quite pleasant. But their diet is not to my satisfaction," he said taking a step forward but stopping. "I was running along this fine state when I decided to visit my favorite coven. Where are the Cullens, girl?" he asked. He knew they were gone; he could probably smell that they have been gone for a while.

"The Cullens moved and we still keep in contact. They left me so I could mature more, I am still under their protection," I said hoping my bluff was working. His smile widened a bit.

"Oh really?" he asked, I nodded.

"Well I have it under good authority that you are lying, my dear. I know because I saw them a few months ago, it was foolish of them to leave there little pet with no protection. All the better for me. I came for you, girl," he said simply.

"Why?" I had to ask why I had to die.

"Well Victoria wants you. You are the reason her precious James is dead. It's a shame I fed recently. It would have been nice to drain you myself. I will take you to Victoria. It will be a long journey," he stepped once more. He probably wants me to run so he could chase.

"They will know," I said hoping that he still feared the Cullens.

"The rain will wash off any traces of my being here. Why do you think I abide my time rather than going to your home?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Alice will see," I said not able to stop my retreating step.

"I know of her gifts and she won't see a thing," he said with a raised eyebrow waiting for my next reason for him not killing me.

"What about Edward, I am his, he will find out and he will come after you," I said grasping at straws, he probably be livid that someone ate his hamburger when he wasn't allowed, I snorted internally.

"That is the point my dear, mate for mate, even though he has moved on with a certain strawberry blond in Alaska. But no matter, you are the reason her James is dead, I don't understand her reasoning. But…" he kept talking, I was going to die. I was never going to see my dad again or Jacob. They would never know what happened to me. I felt numb and still he kept talking, it seemed he was in no hurry and he still kept his distance. My eyes were unfocused, I saw something move in the distance, and I saw its eyes glow. It was a large animal, I kept my eyes focused on the animal's eyes as it moved from the cover of the trees and I saw it was a wolf. A large wolf, I was frozen. No reaction from me gave away the animal to Laurent. My eyes were tearing up, I was going to die.

Laurent kept talking; he said something about, animal blood tasting like sewage, and something about Victoria liking to play with her food, he thought it was tasteless and that he should show me mercy and kill me instead of taking me to Victoria. Then he froze when a gust of wind blew from behind me my hair blew forward towards my face, I thought my blood finally made him snap. I kept my eyes on the silver wolf he was moving slowly towards us. His eyes were on Laurent they seemed calculating, maybe he wanted to fight for the kill, my lips twitched a bit. Then I saw out of the corner of my eye another wolf, this one was a tanned wolf, on the other side I saw a grey wolf, they were forming a triangle but they were still at a good distance. We were surrounded by wolves, giant wolves, what were they doing?

Laurent had finally unfroze mumbling something in a language I did not understand, he was looking past me, he took a step towards me but changed his mind and retreated, running away at vampire speed. When my brain processed the movement I saw and felt black and russet blur past me. I started to hear screeching metallic noises. My hands went instantly to me ears my eyes were so full of unshed tears that I couldn't see clearly. The screeching continued for a few minutes. I had wiped away the tears, the wolves scared away the vampire, and I'm still alive. Oh My God. I am still alive. I fell to my knees and threw up; I was so relieved I was still alive. When I looked up I saw the wolves looking at me they were standing over the twitching body parts Laurent they killed him, but why?

I looked at them the russet wolf caught my eyes; I sucked in a breath in recognition. Jacob. My mind starts working as I remember a year ago at the beach "our ancestors are descendents from wolves… protectors of the tribe… protectors from the cold ones..." It made sense Sam's "cult" Jacob telling me "they call themselves the protectors," and the fact that there were five members in Sam's gang and five wolves in the meadow. I stood up and started walking toward them. They all looked at the black one and he looked at the pile of twitching body parts. I walked faster they seemed to be unsure as to what to do. Their eyes were fixated on me; I turned back to the russet wolf and whispered, "Jake."

He looked at the black wolf then turned back to me, giving me a wolfy grin, and his tongue hung from the side, that was confirmation enough for me. I smiled and returned my attention to the pile of body parts.

"Ugh, disgusting," I mumbled as I saw a hand twitching fingers. I grabbed my lighter lit the balled up paper that I had forgotten in my hand and then threw on the pile the venom was very flammable so it caught on fire easily. The purplish smoke started becoming overwhelming so I walked towards my bag, and sat down. I saw my book and I thought that it was stupid to burn it, the story was a classic, he could not ruin it for me, and so I put in my bag. The wolves watched me, maybe asking why I was still I was still there.

"I want to watch him burn, so I can be sure he's gone," I said as my eyes were fixated on the fire. The wolves all left, I was disappointed that Jacob left as well. But them I heard someone approaching, I smiled it was Jake; he just had some cut off jeans and nothing else. He was really ripped and I was impressed, I told him 'nice bod,' he chuckled at that.

"So a wolf, huh," I said. He sat blocking the fire. He had a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, wolf, your not freaking out right that I turn into this monster are you?" he asked me his eyes down cast.

"What, you are not a monster!" I yelled at him, "that thing! Burning there, is a monster, you told me this once. Remember at the beach, you are a protector and the others, your brothers. You guys just saved my life. I was so scared I thought I was going to die, I thought I was never going to see you again or my dad. But then these angels came and saved me. I can tell this isn't what you wanted, but it is what it is, you'll have to sacrifice a lot, but you'll be rewarded if not in this life then the next. It's not fair that this responsibly fell to you and the others. You are all so young, but by destroying that monster you saved hundreds of people that would have died if that monster still roamed this earth," I told him he was now looking at me with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you for saving my life and your brothers as well," I leaned forward to hug him.

"Do you want to go?" I asked him.

"I can't. I have to stay until it completely turns to ashes," he said holding my hand, "will you stay with me? I missed you."

"Yeah, I missed you too," I said and smiled. My smile faded when I remembered Laurent's warning. "She's coming for me. I am scared," I choked out and tears started falling down my face.

"I'll protect you. I promise," he scooted next to me putting an arm around me and kissed my cheek, whispering reassurances that it would be okay.


End file.
